The company was formed by Carlo Chiti and Giotto Bizzarrini, among others – intending for it to be a direct competitor to Ferrari both on the race track and on the street.

[1] The sports car was the ATS 2500 GT, a small coupé developed by Chiti and Bizzarrini with a Franco Scaglione-designed bodywork built by Allemano.

Apart from being the second mid-engine sports cars[citation needed] (the René-Bonnet / Matra Djet was presented five months earlier at the Salon de l'Autombile in Paris, France),[2] the 2500 GT never gained fame or popularity, but its 90 degree DOHC V8 with a flatplane crankshaft was later developed into Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 engine in 2 L, 2.5 L and 3 L formats by Carlo Chiti at Autodelta.

One of the major problems was chassis flexing, which was fixed by the unusual method of reinforcing tubes being welded over the top of the engine.

After looking so fantastic at the public unveiling back in Bologna, they now had rumpled body panels, pock marks and were poorly painted.

The Tipo 100 returned for the Italian Grand Prix, and both cars started and finished, although a long way down the field – Hill 11th and Baghetti 15th.

[3] The ATS would later be used in the Derrington-Francis project spearheaded by the Rob Walker Racing Team's former chief mechanic, Alf Francis.

The car made one appearance at a Formula 1 race, the 1964 Italian Grand Prix, driven Mário de Araújo Cabral, where it retired after 25 laps.